London Love

I traveled up to London recently, and made a point of checking out a couple of craft markets. First up was the Sunday Up Market in Brick Lane. I was completely taken with the area, immediately feeling a great atmosphere. The market itself was full of handmade items, predominantly clothing, cards and jewelery. A few small retailers I'd been following online had stalls, including Buddug, who have to sell the most beautiful jewelery and trinkets. Also came across a lovely lady who sold crocheted fascinators and interesting brooches. Her website is underway at Twinkle Bug so keep an eye out!

I bought a brooch from Rosie Wonders. I have a thing about robots, and this little fellow was a must have, since I was informed it had only been made the previous day! Meant to be.



I can't wait to save some money and go again (without the burden of my luggage!). I highly recommend a visit. If you decide to go, make sure you get your money out before you get to the area as the cash machines often run out before lunch!

Fascinating!

A boredom-inspired eBay search led to my discovery of fascinators. I had the notion to search for 'burlesque' in the clothing and accessories section, and these curious hair ornaments kept popping up. There were some beautiful ones about, most of which predominantly used feathers. A few went a stretch further and played around with materials, which I what I decided to do when I tried my hand at making one.



Using mostly bits and pieces I had lying around, I'm really pleased how this turned out. Black, white and red is a favourite colour scheme of mine and I'd wanted to usde some old playing cards in an accessory for a while. The only new purchase for this creation was the red feathers.



The piece is attached to a slim red alice band, and so can be worn on either side of the head. I had a lot of fun making this and can't wait to make some more. This, and others, will eventually be sold on my forthcoming online store.